Tysons Corner murder trial enters week two

By Lisa Fletcher, Jummy Olabanji
1317630931000

Carmela de la Rosa faces life in prison if convicted.

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FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) - A second week of testimony begins Monday in the murder trial of a Virginia grandmother was claims she was legally insane last year when she tossed her 2-year-old granddaughter to her death from a sixth-level pedestrian bridge.

A neighbor and a psychologist testified for the defense, and the psychologist stressed her concern about Dela Rosa's state of mind in the weeks leading up to the incident.

Prosecutors say 50-year-old Carmela dela Rosa of Fairfax was motivated by anger at her son-in-law for getting her daughter pregnant out of wedlock. Dela Rosa has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Friends testified, saying Dela Rosa is a nice woman who was good to children and planned neighborhood potlucks.

Prosecutor Ray Morrogh dismantled one neighbor's testimony when she offered her impressions of Dela Rosa’s mental state in the weeks before she allegedly killed her granddaughter.

“We are not interested in what you felt or thought. We want to know what you saw and heard," he said. The witness recanted several statements.

Psychologist Jeanne Marquis spent the bulk of he day on the stand. She treated Dela Rosa for a major depressive disorder on and off for nearly a decade. She said the woman generally "effectively used techniques to overcome grief and loss,” was an "active participant" and "made good use of therapy."

In the weeks prior to the incident, Marquis said Dela Rosa became hopeless and possibly suicidal. The psychologist had never been more concerned about Dela Rosa in the decade she had treated her.

Prosecutors rested their case last week after showing a videotaped confession in which dela Rosa said she killed young Angelyn Ogdoc primarily to get back at her son-in-law.

Dela Rosa was diagnosed with depression and briefly hospitalized last year after one of several suicide attempts. She faces up to life in prison if convicted.